Haro

About Haro

Haro is the historic heart of Rioja Alta and one of the most important wine towns in Spain. First documented in 1040, it became a wine hub in the late nineteenth century when the railway arrived and French merchants, fleeing phylloxera, set up cellars beside the station. That legacy survives as the Barrio de la Estación, an extraordinary cluster of long-established bodegas—López de Heredia, La Rioja Alta, CVNE, Muga and more—within walking distance of each other. Haro's reputation rests on traditional, long-aged Tempranillo reds, though a handful of houses also make distinctive barrel-fermented white Rioja. Each June the town stages the Batalla del Vino, a chaotic festival in which participants drench each other in wine. For visitors, Haro offers a rare chance to tour several legendary cellars on foot in a single afternoon.

Practical details

Wine tourism notes

Haro is the historic heart of Rioja Alta and home to the Barrio de la Estación, a rail-side cluster of century-old bodegas—among them López de Heredia, La Rioja Alta, CVNE, Muga and others—that is one of the densest concentrations of great wineries in the world. The town's tempranillo-based reds define the region's traditional style, and small quantities of barrel-aged white Rioja are also made here.

Regional cuisine

Classic Rioja Alta fare: chuletillas de cordero grilled over vine shoots, patatas a la riojana, morcilla and local white asparagus, all built to sit beside barrel-aged Tempranillo. Haro's plaza and old town host tapas bars pouring reserva and gran reserva by the glass.

Canonical attractions

• Barrio de la Estación (historic bodega district)
• Plaza de la Paz
• Iglesia de Santo Tomás
• Batalla del Vino (Wine Battle, 29 June)
• Rioja Alta and CVNE cellar tours

Editorial notes